This invention relates to valves and to urine bags including valves.
Urine collecting bags are used for collecting urine from a urostomy, a uretheral catheter or a penile sheath. The bag has an inlet at its upper end and an outlet at its lower end with a valve which is normally closed but which can be opened by the wearer to discharge urine when the bag becomes full.
Various different kinds of valves have been described previously, such as in GB 2101274, GB 2061466, GB 2129912 and GB 2166222.
The problem with previous valves is that they require some manual dexterity to operate. Because the wearers of urine bags tend to be elderly or infirm, they often lack the required dexterity, consequently, they experience difficulty in opening or closing the valve. The valves often require two hands to operate. Furthermore, it is not always obvious to the user whether the valve is open or closed, leading to the risk of leakage if the valve is inadvertently left open.